Hindus prayed at Babri site, but never had title rights: Muslim parties tell SC

New Delhi, Sep 06: Hindus have been praying at the Babri site since 1885, the Muslim parties have admitted before the Supreme Court.

They further said that Hindus have been offering prayers within the Babri Masjid since 1885 when a civil court had granted the community to worship. They were however denied title rights, the Muslim parties contended.

Can I claim a title of the entire property. Muslims allowed Hindus to worship, but the title was always with us, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan contended while arguing in the Supreme Court which is hearing the Ayodhya matter.

The Muslims parties relied on a Supreme Court judgment that called those who demolished the Babri Masjid as miscreants.

During the hearing in the Ayodhya case, the Muslim parties said that miscreants cannot claim ownership over the 2.77 acres disputed land.

The miscreants had planned and placed idols inside the Mosque on the night of December 22, 1949.

They harassed Muslims to dissuade them from offering namaz regularly, senior counsel, Rajeev Dhawan argued. Can these actions of the miscreants be taken as a new ground by the Hindus to claim ownership, he sought to know.

In 1994, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had said that those who had demolished the Mosque had no religion, caste or creed except the character of a criminal and the mere incident of birth of such a person in any particular community cannot attach the stigma of his crime to the community in which he was born.